Tires 7610 owners... filled tires or not?

[spoon059]

So we have a B7610 to replace our older B9200. The 7610 is considerably more narrow then the 9200 and has approximately the same ground clearance. I was using the 7610 last week to move some mulch when the mulch shifted underneath me and the 7610 rolled. I had my belt on and ROPS up, so I wasn't hurt. We rolled the tractor back on its wheels and started it up, it belched some dark smoke for a couple seconds, but runs fine now.

Today I was moving some brush in the hilly areas of our property, and the tractor felt like it was going to tip again, which was very unsettling. We will be using the 7610 to mow some moderately steep areas on our property that the 9200 did with no problems, but are concerning me now with the 7610.

Who has filled their tires in the 7610, and does it help significantly with stability? I know having a heavy mower on the back will help lower the center of gravity, but I am very nervous after the past week's issues.

What is a reasonable price to pay to get tires filled with Rim Guard or comparable product?

 

[ChuckinNH]

Loading the tires will help greatly, but in your case, I would considering widening the rear wheels some too. Most of the ones I've seen come from the dealer set at around 4', but they can easily be set much wider. Check your owner's manual to see how. Since they haven't been loaded yet, it would be easier to do it first.

 

[spoon059]

It is my understanding that the wheels are set to maximum width already. Do you know how wide they are supposed to be at max width so I can compare against mine?

 

[ChuckinNH]

It seems that they will go to perhaps 56" or maybe more. Look at your axles, and you will see a series of holes, if there are more holes available, they will go wider. I have also noticed that some dealers mount the wheels with the center hub in, and some with it out. That will make a difference in how wide you can go too. Switching the tires from right to left, etc. will give you that option.

 

[easygo]

What you want is the wheel hubs to be on the inside of the wheels instead on the outside. If you take the rear wheels off, the hubs will stay on the axle. You want to turn those around than tighten them back onto the axle and put the wheels back on. It will add about another 6" or so to the width of the rear tires. You can only do that if you use a rear mower of some kind. Will not work with that belly mounted unit. It will add stability if you install wheel weights or fill the tires. Did you have something on the 3PH when the tractor rolled? I noticed that if the the loader is on the tractor and there is nothing on the 3ph the tractor is a lot more unstable!!! I mean just the empty loader forget about using it.

 

[AMR]

I never ran my B3030 without filled tires, but I can say that it sticks pretty well on slopes that my BX23 was up on tree wheels on.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Thanks for the clarification easygo! I was hoping someone with more experience would chime in, but it looked like you could do that to me. Unfortunately, that feature has been left out of the new small B series tractors, and it's unclear if wheel spacers will be available.

 

[spoon059]

Thanks for all the help guys, I know the tires aren't anywhere near 56" wide, so I will try to expand them somemore.

And no, when I rolled it there was nothing on the back. I try to keep the rear blade on for additional weight, but I was working in a slightly confined area where anything on the 3ph would have made it almost impossible to use the tractor.

 

[Bob_Young]

I've got filled rears on my B7610 and feel they're a big asset to the machine. Even with turf tires, there's rarely a traction problem in snow or mud and stability on grades has been good. Most of my FEL work is done without anything on the back, but for heavy lifting I hook up to the boxblade.

Mowing with filled tires hasn't harmed the lawn any, though they will leave marks if the ground is damp. The drainage here is good, so this hasn't been an issue. If you've got chronic wet spots, YMMV.

My tires have been moved out to about 50" overall width, as I recall. They could go further but the shop mechanic advised against making them wider than the FEL bucket. Without the ballast in the tires, I think I'd be most uncomfortable on grades with the B7610. Glad you weren't hurt when it rolled.
FWIW
Bob

 

[bandit67]

You folks with the filled tires on the B7610's - I'm considering its replacement, the B2920 (which specs out very similarly), and wonder if you guys think the filled tires would be necessary with a backhoe? The backhoe will probably be on during snow removal for maximum ballast & traction, plus the majority of dirt work and dirt, rock, & tree transport around the property. Essentially, the backhoe will be on the machine probably 60-70% of the time.

But I will also use the tractor with a landscape rake occasionally, and figure to run a brush hog on sloped ground at least 3-4 times per season, possibly more. I've been wondering if these situations would warrant filled tires.

I do not have to worry about too much weight on a manicured lawn. Just wondering if filled tires plus a backhoe might be a bit too much strain or just plain overkill on that machine.